


We’ll Make Time

by ThisisallMarvelsfault



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gray-Asexuality, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, M/M, Sometimes sexuality is complicated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-13 03:04:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21487297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisisallMarvelsfault/pseuds/ThisisallMarvelsfault
Summary: Kageyama is really going to miss his best friend.[Manga spoilers for chapter 369+]
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 24
Kudos: 161





	1. Chapter 1

It starts in third year.

Well, no. It started before that, but third year was when Kageyama started to put the pieces together.

Following in the footsteps of Oikawa Tooru meant that Kageyama had a lot of eyes on him while he was the setter at Kitagawa Daiichi. His mother told him he was tall (obviously) and athletic (obviously) so it was natural for girls to look at him differently.

Rumours about his attitude on the court spread pretty fast though, so he only received one confession in his entire three years of middle school. Kageyama didn’t even know her name, but even if he did, he would have given the same answer: _Thank you, but I’m too busy with volleyball_.

One of his teammates mentioned it the next day, how Kageyama should have said yes so he’d have someone to eat lunch with. Like it would make him more approachable. _“Maybe you wouldn’t be such an asshole if you had a girl around.”_

When the initial sting of the comment wore off, somewhere between his 15th and 25th practice serve, Kageyama thought to himself that a girlfriend probably wouldn’t help him anyways. It’s not like having a girlfriend would change him as a person, and he didn’t bother with anything besides volleyball. Nothing really mattered to Kageyama except volleyball. He didn’t think about holding hands or kissing or any of that stuff. Kageyama just wants to be on the court.

That makes the defeat in his final game for Kitagawa Daiichi even worse, because he doesn’t really have anything to fall back on. Volleyball was his everything, and now it was gone. Kageyama spends a lot of time in his room after that game. He reads the same volleyball magazines he’s read a hundred times and he plays with the volleyball in his room. His thoughts are scattered, so he thinks back to the confession and girlfriends and stuff he doesn’t really let himself think about.

But looking at the pictures of volleyball players in his magazine doesn’t make it any better. Would Kageyama be happy if he got to eat lunch and hold hands with Kim Yeon-koung? He guesses he would be, but he doesn’t really want to hold her hand. He doesn’t have to touch her to ask her about volleyball. He doesn’t have to kiss her for that.   
  
Kageyama knows the other boys and girls in his class think about this stuff all the time. He knows he probably should, too. That’s what was normal. But he didn’t. 

He's also seen the girls in his class giggle about BL, and he googled it once before closing the webpage as soon as he saw pictures. Even if nobody really talks about it, he knows that some boys like boys. So Kageyama looks down to an article in his magazine about Shimizu Kunihiro, full of colour pictures and action shots and tries to imagine holding his hand or kissing him. But again, Kageyama can’t picture it and he doesn’t want it. 

_Maybe I'm broken_, he thinks. Instead, Kageyama tells himself that he only has room for one thing in his life, and that’s volleyball. He hugs the yellow and blue ball to his chest and decides that’s the better answer.

* * *

Karasuno is amazing, but the worst part about becoming a better player and a better person was that more girls tried to talk to him. They woke him up from naps at lunch to ask him about games, and they’d leave as soon as they figured out he wouldn’t give them the answer they were looking for.   
  
Kageyama thinks he’s the only boy on the team that didn’t blush when Shimizu talked to them. She was nice, there was nothing wrong with her, but she wasn’t volleyball. He didn’t get weird when their fingers touched as she handed him a water bottle, because they’re just fingers.

Kageyama also didn’t get weird when he touched Hinata’s hair, but that’s because it was Hinata and he was probably trying to pop his head like a grape for saying something stupid. And he didn’t feel weird in the change room, like maybe because he didn’t care about girls that he **had** to care about boys, but again, nothing.

Then, the unthinkable happened. He made friends.

First, it was Hinata (obviously), then Yachi, then Yamaguchi and even Tsukishima. Suddenly there were people in Kageyama’s life that weren’t family or just teammates. People that saw him at practice and asked if he wanted to go to a movie or the sports store (maybe and yes). People that would text him for no reason other than to ask him how he was doing. People who celebrated his birthday and bought him gifts and met up with him during festivals and shared snacks with him completely outside of volleyball.

Maybe it didn’t count because he met them all through volleyball, because somewhere around his second year, Kageyama realized that when they all go their own ways after graduation, he’s still going to want to know how they’re doing. And that seemed to take up the small part of his heart that volleyball hadn’t found yet. Maybe volleyball moved to make room for them (Yamaguchi would probably like the way that sounds). With volleyball and friends, not being interested in girls or boys or kissing didn’t seem to matter. That was enough. That made him smile more than he wanted to admit.

The more popular the volleyball team became, the more people stared at Kageyama in the halls at school. That meant more confessions after school, but he still used the answer from middle school: _Thank you, but I’m too busy with volleyball_. It was more believable now, since his time with the junior national team was common knowledge and he was looking to go pro right out of high school, but Kageyama thinks it was as true then as it was now. He’s just not interested. 

So when Tsukishima’s new girlfriend, a little too loud for Kageyama’s liking and nosier than Hinata on a bad day, asks him what his favourite type of girl is and says she can set him up with one of her friends, Kageyama squints at her until the topic changes. She leaves with Hinata and Tsukishima to get snacks, and he doesn’t realize he rolled his eyes until he looks at Yachi.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” Yachi says quietly.

“Why are you sorry? You didn’t say anything.” Kageyama wants to scroll through his phone for something to do, but everyone he talks to is here and Hinata already got mad at him today for not being “present,” whatever that’s supposed to mean.

“I know,” she says, her voice muffled slightly when she tucks the long pieces of her bangs behind her ear. “But you always look uncomfortable when people ask you about dating and stuff.” 

“How ... am I supposed to look?” Yachi lets out a squeak, but Yamaguchi laughs as he puts down his phone to join the conversation.

“You don’t have to look like anything, Kageyama,” he says with a smile. Sometimes it’s hard to disagree with him now that he’s captain, but he was Kageyama’s friend first.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant-” Yachi stops, puffs out her chest like it will give her more courage, and puts her hand on Kageyama’s shoulder. “You’re allowed to be uncomfortable with it. Or, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, that’s not good. ... Not everyone is into dating.”

“But it’s normal to be, right?”

“Kageyama,” Yamaguchi says, leaning across the table to get closer, “I say this in the nicest way possible, but I don’t think you’ve ever been normal. You’re a volleyball monster.”

“But that’s OK!” Yachi says and gives his shoulder a squeeze. “We like you for you, and we don’t care if you aren’t crazy about dating.”

Kageyama nods and notices he’s sweating a little more than usual and his heart is beating fast. This usually happened when they got all friendly with him. After two and a half years, he’s not used to it.

“In fact,” Yachi continues, “some people aren’t interested in dating at all. And that’s totally fine.”

“Really?” Kageyama squints at her and tilts his head to the side. “That’s a thing?”

“Well, yeah-”

“And not just saying no because you like boys or something?”

“Um, Kageyama?” Yamaguchi’s eyes are wide, and he’s poking Yachi’s arm like he’s trying to get her attention even though she’s staring at Kageyama. “Do you ... like boys?”

“What? No,” Kageyama replies with some more squinting. “That's not what we were talking about. Do _you_ like boys?”

“Kageyama!” Yachi yelps. “You can’t just-”

“Well-” Yamaguchi starts, but he doesn’t get to finish.

“Doesn’t matter either way. Can we go back to the ‘not interested in dating at all’ part?”

Yachi and Yamaguchi still and blink in his direction for a while. Yamaguchi finds his feet first, like the good captain he is.

“So when you say you don’t like dating-”

“I just don’t think about it. I don’t really care, I never have. Guys, girls, whatever. I just like volleyball. That’s it.”

“Oh!” Yachi says, and then she’s picking up her phone and typing furiously. “That’s totally real, Kageyama, and lots of other people have felt like that, too. I can send you some stuff to read, if you want?” Yamaguchi smiles at Kageyama across the table and he smiles lightly back at him.

“OK.”

“Cool! And it doesn’t matter what you like or don’t like, we’ll still be your friends, Tobio.”

“Tobio!!” The yell comes from Hinata, who is barely holding all the snacks he has in both arms. “Yachi used your first name! Are you in trouble?”

“Not as much trouble as you’ll be in if you drop all that, you shrimp.” Tsukishima and his girlfriend are walking behind Hinata carrying almost nothing. They totally made Hinata the pack mule for that trip. 

“You could have helped him carry some of it, Kei.”

“See!” Hinata puts all the snacks on the table with a surprising amount of grace, and then smiles at himself for a job well done. “First names come out when you’re in trouble.”

“I’ve put up with this jerk for a long time,” Yamaguchi says as he sticks out his tongue in Tsukishima’s direction. “I’ve earned the right to use his first name.”

“Absolutely not,” Tsukishima says as he takes his seat before getting pulled into looking at his girlfriend’s phone. Yachi slaps Yamaguchi’s arm, but they’re both smiling. Hinata slides a milk drink in Kageyama’s direction and the group discusses Interhigh like he assumes some friends do.

By the time Kageyama gets home that night, Yachi has sent him a pile of websites to visit.

Suddenly, he doesn’t feel so broken.

* * *

Kageyama had two years to come to terms with Hinata leaving the country. He started working toward Brazil in second year and he barely ever shut up about it. When Hinata first told him, Kageyama was so stunned that all he could say was _"That’s far.”_

Kageyama isn’t really sure about this plan of his, but Hinata wants it and he’s working hard and that’s really all that matters. It’s not like Kageyama can talk anyways, he wasn’t planning on going to university or anything. 

But Brazil is really far. Like hours on a plane. A different time zone.

Kageyama thinks he’s upset because he won’t get to play with Hinata any more. Which is true; Kageyama likes playing with the junior national team, it’s fun and the players are very good, but playing with Hinata has always been more fun. Three years doesn’t feel like enough to Kageyama. 

But he thinks it’s more the fact that he’s going to miss his best friend. He hasn't exactly told Hinata he's his best friend, but it’s definitely true. His best friend is going to be on the other side of the world, playing volleyball without him, and that stinks. Kageyama still gets to play volleyball, but he’ll miss the annoying orange teenager who he’s played his best games with. 

Kageyama will miss them all - Tsukishima, Yamaguchi and Yachi going to school, doing smart book-people stuff. But Brazil is **far**.

“Kageyama-san,” Hinata tells him a couple weeks before graduation. Hinata only adds the “san” when he wants him to really pay attention, so Kageyama stopped and turned his entire body in Hinata’s direction. “Even if I’m halfway across the world, we’re still best friends! We’re still going to talk all the time, it’s just that it’ll be a different time where I am and where you are. We’ll find time between practice to talk, right? And we still have our promise! You weren’t planning on forgetting about me when you become a fancy-schmancy volleyball pro, we’re you?!”  
  
_Best friends_. He said it.

“No, dumbass!” Kageyama went for his classic head grab, but this time Hinata let him and wrapped his arms around Kageyama for a hug.

“Good! Because I won’t let you!” He was yelling into Kageyama's chest, still too short to make it at least to his shoulder. “You have to tell me all about your team, and I’ll tell you everything about beach volleyball and my new roommate and I’ll teach you some Portuguese!”

Normally Kageyama would throw him off, he’s not really one for hugs anyways. But he wrapped his arms around Hinata and gave him a big squeeze, because Brazil is **far**.

“OK.”

* * *

Kageyama has to leave first - a few days before Hinata’s flight out - for his team physical and to meet with his new manager and coach. 

There’s a big party for Hinata before then, mostly a Karasuno reunion party. Lots of former and current players, or friends from other teams that come to wish Hinata luck and play a pickup match in Karasuno’s gym. Kageyama has a lot of fun, and just as many people ask him about going pro as they ask Hinata about flights and his new apartment. 

Kageyama and Hinata walk home together, for old time’s sake, but Kageyama walks him right to his door because Hinata says he has a gift for him. 

“I didn’t get you anything,” he says as they reach Hinata’s house. Now he feels bad. Is there anything in his gym bag that could work as a gift?

“You don’t need to give me a gift, Bakageyama!” Hinata disappears into the house and down the hall, so Kageyama lets himself in and closes the door to keep the cold out. The house is quiet and dark save for the light in the hallway. Hinata comes bouncing back seconds later with a bag in his hands that looks like it has a volleyball in it. “You said you’d talk to me a bunch, and you said you’d say hello to my parents during the holidays and you’d take Natsu to the shrine at New Year’s. That’s way better than a present!”

“Are you seriously giving me a volleyball?”

“Don’t laugh!” Hinata digs it out of the bag and shoves it into Kageyama’s chest. “It’s my personal volleyball, and it’s been with me a long time, so sometimes it feels like a part of me! I want you to keep it safe while I’m gone.”

Kageyama clutches the volleyball on his chest and sees the wear that must happen after being around this tornado for so long. Hinata's name is on it, but the kanji is worn and faded, like the ball was put in the washing machine a couple times.

“OK, fine,” Kageyama says, and he unzips his gym bag and takes out his almost brand new volleyball. He shoves it in Hinata’s chest before he notices the smile on his face. “Then you can take mine. It’s not a part of me or whatever, but you’ll need one anyways.”

“And these!” Hinata puts his new volleyball on the ground beside him and digs out more stuff from the bag. He pulls out his orange headbands, the ones Yachi helped him buy when Hinata started growing out his hair. 

“Don’t you need them?” Kageyama asks, but he takes them from Hinata’s hand anyways. They’re made of soft fabric and they feel freshly washed.

“I’m getting my hair cut next week before I leave!”

“Finally,” Kageyama mumbles.

“And they are Karasuno orange! So wear them with pride! You’ll need them whenever,” Hinata points his finger at Kageyama’s bangs and make a weird face, “all _that _grows out, or whatever.”

“I told you-“

“I know, I know, you have to see the ball, but next time don’t cut it yourself!” Hinata tries to be stern, but he can’t stop himself from laughing when Kageyama puts the headbands in his gym bag with a scowl.

“Thanks,” Kageyama says with a sneer, but he doesn’t really mean it, and Hinata knows he doesn’t.

Hinata is doing that happy pout he’s been doing since the party and it makes Kageyama nervous.

“I’m going to miss you, Tobio.”

Kageyama wants to make a comment about using his given name, but it doesn’t really seem like the time for that. He’s mostly just sad. This is the last time he’ll see Hinata in a very long time.

“I’ll miss you too, Shouyou.” 

Hinata’s little nose wrinkles at that.

“You almost never call me Shouyou, so it sounds weird.”

“Why can’t I call you that?! You just called me Tobio! And lots of people called you Shouyou today! Even-”

He’s cut off by a hug, and it doesn’t feel like Hinata is going to let go any time soon. Kageyama sighs and gives in instantly, wrapping his arms around Hinata like it’s totally natural even though they’ve done this four times before. But Brazil is far. There’s a lot Kageyama could say, but he says the first thing that comes to his mind.

“Don’t get sunburnt.”

“I won’t! Or at least I’ll try not to!”

“You definitely will,” Kageyama says, and when they finally let go, Hinata eyes are watery and his pout is trying not to be so pouty.

“I’m calling you at some point during my first week, and you better pick up!”

“I will.” Kageyama gives him a real smile, the kind that makes Hinata really happy because he likes it when other people are happy. And he’s happy about it now, it almost makes his pout disappear. “Go finish packing.”

“You go finish packing! I know you haven’t finished yet.”

”Yeah, but I can come back and get my stuff whenever, you-”

“Whatever, Kageyama!” Hinata’s eyes are still so big and threatening to cry, so Kageyama grabs his head (but soft and nice), ruffles Hinata’s hair and heads for the door.

“See you later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't get this idea out of my head. Chapter two is almost done, so I'll have the whole story published before the new year.  
Join me on the hell site twitter @whatakeenbean1


	2. Chapter 2

They have a pretty regular video-chat schedule. It’s hard with the time difference (exactly 12 hours) and his practice and game schedule and Hinata's practice and schedule, but they make time to talk face-to-face for a couple hours every month. 

When Kageyama needs help figuring out how to talk to his new wing spiker but the only free time Kageyama has is the hour before team dinner, Hinata will wake up super early after working all night. Kageyama keeps himself awake until Hinata can video call him to ask about that night's game. He always watches Kageyama's games, or at least the best clips. Once, Kageyama quickly called him to ask if his suit and tie for the volleyball team's gala was OK, and Hinata, his hair wild and his face still half pressed into the pillow, told him to wear the black tie instead of the blue one. Hinata always answers, unless he's working or sleeping or playing volleyball. Which is pretty much the same for Kageyama. 

Hinata introduces Kageyama to his new roommate, Pedro, pushing the phone uncomfortably close to the guy's face. He speaks very good Japanese, which must be nice for Hinata. Kageyama got Ushijima to say hello to Hinata over video chat once, but he ... doesn’t really say much and he gets weird with the camera. Once, Tendou-san came to a game, and he stole Kageyama’s phone to record a video just for Hinata. It sounded like a Pokémon thing - Kageyama didn’t question it.

They talk about practice, the new things they’ve learned, sometimes stuff they don’t talk about at length in the Karasuno group chat. Kageyama complains about not knowing how to talk to the press and Hinata helps give him tips for talking to new people without coming across as a jerk. Sometimes they don’t talk at all and quietly read the same volleyball magazine together with an entire ocean between them. Hinata gets all pouty when he tells Kageyama about his wallet getting stolen, so Kageyama takes Natsu out to buy him a new one for Christmas the next time he goes to Miyagi.  
  
He takes Natsu to the shrine and checks in on the Hinatas whenever he goes home. Now and then, Kageyama goes just to see them, when Hinata’s mom calls to say she’ll make him curry if he comes over and teaches Natsu some new setter tricks.

It's more than he ever expected. He knew he'd go out of his way to talk to Hinata whenever he could, but he didn't know how much time Hinata would have once he moved.

Kageyama really misses Hinata. He misses Yachi, too. And Yamaguchi. And maybe Tsukishima. But he **really** misses Hinata.

When he makes the national team, it takes a whole day for Kageyama to realize the Olympics will be held in the same city Hinata is in! Kageyama doesn’t really know what to do with himself after not seeing Hinata for a whole year. They’ll be in the same country for the first time in a very long time. The day he finds out what his schedule will be like in Rio, he sends it to Hinata in a long, detailed email. 

Soon they’re making plans, but it doesn’t feel real. It's only one night, and that’s if Japan’s schedule stays how it is; his senpai told him they changed the practice schedule four time at the London Games. (Kageyama called Hinata to tell him and freak out, but Hinata laughed and told him they would figure it out.)

Honestly, he’s more nervous to see Hinata than he is to play in the Olympics, and that’s ridiculous. He’s the rookie everyone is talking about, he's about to sign with _sponsors_, this is the highest level of volleyball, the first step to being the best in the world, but he’s nervous about seeing his best friend instead?

Ridiculous.

And then it’s the night after the opening ceremony, and Kageyama is standing patiently at the intersection close to athletes' village. The sun just went down, but it’s so humid it feels like he's in the afternoon sun. Kageyama just had a shower, but he can feel his thin shirt sticking to his chest with sweat.

“Kageyama Tobio!!” He looks up and spots the wild mop of orange hair making its way toward him. Maybe Hinata’s a little bit taller, but he’s certainly tanned. Kageyama could see them in the video chat and the pictures, but now he can really tell how many hours Hinata spent in the sun from the freckles on his shoulders and the tan lines on his face from his sunglasses. He almost skids to a stop in from of Kageyama, still full of energy in this intense heat.

“Hey, dumbass.”

Honestly, what else was Kageyama going to say?

Hinata adjusts the bag over his chest and reaches in to hug Kageyama tighter than should be humanly possible. He's definitely stronger than he used to be. Is that allowed? He pats Hinata's hair, freshly cut and shorter than Kageyama is used to, but still bright and fluffy. 

“I can't believe you're actually here,” Hinata says as he pulls away. "Come on! We’ve got a busy night, let's go!”

“What? Aren’t we going to dinner?”

“Yeah, but then there’s stuff after!” He's already pushing his way through the crowd of tourists and athletes and Kageyama has to jog for a moment to keep up.

Hinata takes him to his favourite restaurant, and Kageyama's stomach tightens when Hinata orders for both of them in Portuguese. It's so cool that he can speak another language, and more English than he could before. Then Hinata tells him that it's the same restaurant he brought Oikawa to, and Kageyama can't help his dramatic eye roll. Hinata makes him try some food he's never had before, but only after he promises Kageyama that it won't kill him or upset his stomach. 

After dinner, Hinata takes him to the beach where he spends most of his time playing volleyball. There are a couple casual games going on and it makes Kageyama's fingers itch. The desire to play a game with Hinata as his teammate, even if it's just for fun, is so strong that Hinata has to shake him by the front of his shirt to get his attention.

“I want to so bad,” Hinata whines while they eat ice cream on the sidelines and watch a team of girls take down a pair of older men in straight sets. “Like so, so, so bad. But you're in the Olympics! What if you twisted funny in the sand and couldn't play next week?!”

“I wouldn't do something that stupid,” Kageyama says with a pout after he finishes chewing on the ice cream cone.

“The sand is no joke! I've had a couple close calls, and I don't want you to get hurt.” It's very thoughtful of Hinata. Especially if you know Hinata and how hard it is for him to say no to volleyball. It means a lot to Kageyama. “But!” Hinata pulls his bag back to the front of his chest and takes out a volleyball, the same one that Kageyama gave him before he left. “I thought we could practise for a little bit. Really soft, though! And you can tell me about my sets!”

“Really soft?” Kageyama's just being a jerk now. Like he would say no to volleyball. Like he would ever say no to volleyball with Hinata.

“No injuries, mister fancy setter!” Kageyama doesn't know when Hinata finished his ice cream, but it's gone and Hinata is holding the volleyball so tight in his hands it looks like it could burst. 

“You better not disappoint me with your sets, or I'm leaving.”

“Bakageyama!”

They find a quiet stretch of sand away from the games and crowds. Kageyama takes off his shoes and pushes his toes into the sand. Hinata told him the sun can make the sand really hot and uncomfortable, but right now it's cool and soft on Kageyama's feet. 

It's pretty here, like this: The rumbling of city life in the background, the moon's reflection making the ocean look bright and dark at the same time, the temperature cooled down enough that physical activity seems bearable. And then there's Hinata, his best friend, who Kageyama's only seen through a tiny screen for more than a year. He's full of energy, tossing the ball in the air while he waits, and he looks good. Like he's happy and enjoying himself and he's not lonely any more.

Kageyama is lonely sometimes, but he feels a little less lonely knowing Hinata is OK.

Hinata makes it to one Japan game, the quarter-final match that ends up being the last game for Kageyama and his team. Kageyama's positive he could hear Hinata screaming like an idiot from the stands.

* * *

During Christmas break, Kageyama goes to Yachi's house so she can be a surprise guest during his pre-scheduled video call with Hinata.

He's definitely surprised, and Kageyama can hear Pedro shouting in the background. 

“_Cala a boca_, Hinata!”

Yachi gets very quiet when she hears that, like if she's quiet, Hinata will be, too. Kageyama almost falls off his chair laughing.

“Did he just call you boke?! His Japanese is perfect!”

“He did not call me boke! He would never-” 

“Hinata.” The man in question jumps and turns around. Through the screen, Yachi and Kageyama can see Pedro's head peeking around Hinata's bedroom door. “Can you stop yelling please?”

“I'm sorry, Pedro.” Hinata says in a stage whisper with a bow.

“Hi, Pedro!” Yachi says, and Pedro waves at Hinata's laptop. “Sorry for the noise, we surprised him.”

“_De nada_,” Pedro says with a smile before disappearing from Hinata's room.

“Yachi,” Hinata is still whispering, but this time he gets in close to his laptop and continues. “Your crush is showing.”

“I don't have a crush on him!” Yachi squeals, but her ears are going red and she turns away to hide her face in the side of Kageyama's arm. He watches Hinata's wild smile through the screen and can't help but smile back. 

“You toooooooootally have a crush on him,” Hinata's laughing when Yachi finally turns back to face the screen.

“He's very nice. And cute. And polite! So you should take a page out of his book!”

_Pedro's cute?_ Kageyama's face scrunches up at that.

“Yeah. He is nice and cute and polite,” Hinata says. 

_Is he cute because he's nice and polite? Is he cute because of his face? Is it both?_ Kageyama doesn't really know, but he's pretty sure he trusts Yachi and Hinata to know who's cute and who isn't.

“Maybe I'll bring him back to Japan with me so he can be your boyfriend,” Hinata says as he readjusts the screen of his laptop.

“Hinata!”

“What? You always ask me if I'm dating someone, but I'm not allowed to ask you? Do you ask Kageyama the same questions?” Hinata is still smiling, but Yachi goes stiff beside Kageyama. 

“Kageyama isn't the one living all alone in a foreign country,” Yachi says. It seems like she's holding in her breath.

“I already told you, I'm too busy for that!” Hinata shakes his head, and his foot kicks out to grab the volleyball on his floor. The same one Kageyama gave him, the one they used when they played together in Rio. “I'm so busy with work and volleyball, I don't have time to worry about feelings and kissing. Maybe when I come back home.”

“When _are_ you coming back?” Kageyama asks when he thinks about how long he's been silent. Yachi lets out a heavy breath, but Hinata doesn't notice as he goes on a rant about the cost of a one-way flight.

* * *

“Hinata Shouyou.”

It's the exact same tone as first year, but a bit scarier considering the sheer amount of muscle Ushijima has put on in the past couple years. 

“You can just pick one name, that would be OK,” Hinata replies with a laugh.

Hinata told Kageyama that he was coming to the game tonight, but Kageyama hadn't spotted him in the crowd before it started. It was probably a good thing, since it would have distracted him. 

Kageyama is very happy to have Hinata back in Japan. Now, Kageyama has volleyball and his best friend back. They don't have to schedule times to talk over the phone, Hinata will text Kageyama and ask to go to dinner, like tonight. But it almost feels like too much sometimes? Kageyama was used to Hinata being a small square on his phone and now he's here and solid and loud. Kageyama's very happy, but it's a lot sometimes. It can make him feel like someone dropped a medicine ball on his chest.

Hinata found Kageyama and Ushijima speaking in the back hallway of Kageyama's home arena. Ushijima was traded away last season, but they both play on the national team and there's a special meeting coming up next weekend. Ushijima wants to go together, which would be nice. They were close while they played together because Kageyama struggled to talk to his other teammates off the court and Ushijima was familiar. Now, they enjoy the occasional conversations and otherwise stoic silence the other brings. It's comfortable. 

“Hinata,” Ushijima says.

“Sure!” Hinata laughs and slaps Ushijima's arm like they're old friends. Hinata probably feels that way about a lot of people. “You ready, Kageyama?”

“I need to get my bag,” Kageyama says, leaving Hinata with Ushijima to walk toward his locker room. When he returns, he catches the tail end of something about a professional team in the west end of Tokyo looking for a new middle blocker. 

When they get to their usual ramen spot, Hinata takes off his jacket and scarf to hang on the hook beside their booth. Kageyama's eyes go wide when he turns, because not only is Hinata wearing his team's jersey, but he's wearing _his_ jersey. With Kageyama's name and number on his back. It feels like he's sweating in places he didn't know he could sweat. Kageyama hasn't recovered when Hinata sits down.

“What's wrong with you?" Hinata asks before picking up the menu. "You're making the same face you make when you need to go to the bathroom.”

“You can't wear my jersey when we're eating together! In public!”

“Why not?” Hinata is already pouting, but it's so much more potent when he's five feet away and not in another time zone.

“It's weird!” Kageyama takes a sip of his water hoping it'll get rid of the weird feeling in his chest. It doesn't.

“It's not weird! I like the team because it's _your_ team, so obviously you're my favourite player! What, did you want me to buy Kusunoki's jersey instead?”

Kageyama was about to answer, but they're interrupted by the waitress. She looks like she wanted to tell them to be quiet but doesn't know how, so when she leaves, Kageyama keeps his voice down.

“No, I don't want you to get _his_ jersey,” Kageyama says while giving his chopsticks a concentrated look. He definitely wouldn't like it if Hinata wore Kusunoki's jersey instead, not at all. He's not even _that_ good. Good enough to make the team, but not good enough for Hinata to put his name on his back. “And just ask me next time you want a jersey. I could have got you one for free.”

“I know,” Hinata replies. Kageyama looks up at him just as Hinata takes a photo of him without warning and starts typing away on his phone. “But it was super cool going to the store and buying your jersey! Since you get that money, you should buy dinner.”

“I don't get that money. And I was planning on buying dinner anyways, dumbass.”

* * *

Kageyama doesn't bother turning any of the lights on when he gets finally home after a week-long road trip. He throws off his shoes near the front door and flops down face first onto the couch in the living room.

He may have fallen asleep, because he's startled by the phone vibrating in his pocket. Kageyama blinks at the caller's name and answers the phone with a grunt, shoving his face back in the pillow.

"Yamayama! How was your flight home? Did it take forever because of the snow?"

Kageyama grunts again and Hinata laughs.

"Well, I wanted you to be the first one to know ... I made the team!" That gets Kageyama to sit up in an instant.

"You did?" Kageyama is sure he can hear Hinata jumping up and down. Now Kageyama kinda wishes it was a video call, so he could see what Hinata's face looks like.

"Yeah!"

Hinata has been staying with his parents since he got back from Brazil. He knows enough people in Tokyo that he's always had a place to spend the night if he needs it, but he won't be able to live in Miyagi and play in Tokyo. Well, he _could_, but it wouldn't be fun.

Hinata goes on and on about his new team, his meeting with the coach and players on the team that they know from high school. Kageyama is listening, _he is_, but he's so drained from travelling that his eyes start to close. Eventually, Hinata lets him go and tells him to shower before he falls asleep.

* * *

Before Kageyama gets out of bed to go to practice the next day, he calls Hinata. When he picks up, he's very out of breath.

"Hello?"

"Move in with me."

"What?!" Hinata yells, so Kageyama pulls the phone away from his ear.

"Move in with me," he repeats.

"No, I heard you the first time," Hinata says, and now Kageyama can hear the sound of footsteps over the gravel path near Hinata's house. He must be out for a run. "But why?"

"I have a big apartment with two bedrooms. It's 30 minutes away from your arena, but you'll save money splitting the utilities with me," Kageyama states.

"You'd want that?"

"Of course, then I'd get to spend more time with you." That seems like a no-brainer to Kageyama. Why wouldn't he want to see Hinata more often? "But you're on your own when I'm on the road. And I'll kill you if you set anything on fire. And-"

"Ok, ok," Hinata says laughing, and Kageyama once again wishes it was a video call so he could see Hinata's face. "We're in the same league now. What happens when we play each other?"

"I don't know. We can split the apartment in half?"

"That won't work, Bakageyama! Plus, you'll be on your own when _I'm_ on the road. What about when we face each other in the final?"

"We're not 15 any more," Kageyama says, but it's fond and full of feeling. "We can handle it."

"You're right. We can," Hinata agrees.

* * *

Tsukishima: I heard you’re letting the shrimp move in with you.

Kageyama: Yeah. And?

Tsukishima: Don’t put me down as an emergency contact. I don’t want to be called when you eventually kill each other.

Kageyama: Fuck you.

Tsukishima: [read at 10:27]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m probably going to come back and re-edit this tomorrow, but I needed a confidence boost, so HERE YOU GO.  
Join me in hell @whatakeenbean1


	3. Chapter 3

Kageyama opens his front door to Bokuto and Yachi.

"Looks like Yacchan and I made it here before Hinata!" 

"Come in," Kageyama says as he steps to the side. Yachi has been to his apartment before, but Bokuto has not, so he's poking around the bookshelf and the workout equipment that Kageyama moved out of the spare room and into the living room last night. Kageyama is sure he'll see more of Bokuto now that he is Hinata's new teammate.

Twenty minutes later, Hinata and his mom get to his apartment with all of Hinata's stuff. It's not much, but enough that they needed to borrow a neighbour's truck to get it to the city. Hinata's mom hugs Kageyama hello and sets off to the kitchen to make lunch while the rest of them go down to the truck to start moving stuff up.

Yachi and Kageyama are unpacking dozens of books from a single box when Hinata's mom calls out. Hinata stops folding T-shirts and quickly jumps up from his spot on the ground to run to the kitchen. Yachi laughs as he slides out of the bedroom.

"Even though he's bigger and stronger and wiser," Yachi says as she reaches into the box for another book, "Hinata is still as cute as he was in high school."

It's that word again. _Cute._

"What ... is cute?" Kageyama asks, but he's too embarrassed to look at Yachi and away from the very important job of organizing Hinata's volumes of One Piece on his desk. "What does it mean to you?"

Yachi pauses for a moment to look at Kageyama and hums before opening the next box of books. 

"It's like ... they're appealing?" Yachi poses it as a question, like she's not entirely sure, and then she continues. "You like how they look and how they act and you want more. It might be cute like a kitten, and you want to pat it its head and hug it, but it can also be a person. Someone you like a lot and want to spend more time with, someone you like being close to."

Kageyama's not sure why he thought Yachi wouldn't understand. Of course she did.

"Huh," Kageyama replies. He looks over at her and finds her smiling at him. "OK."

Hinata breaks up their conversation when he yells that lunch is ready. Yachi reaches over to ruffle Kageyama's hair while he's still kneeling before leaving the bedroom.

* * *

It's hard living with someone else. Kageyama's the one who suggested it, and he doesn't want to take it back, but sometimes he wants to go to the bathroom when he wakes up and there's someone in there. And they're singing in the shower. At least it was better than the bathroom song Hinata used to sing in high school.

Hinata used the last of the laundry detergent, and he left his dishes in the sink when he was in a rush, but Kageyama enjoys having him there. He always remembered to lock the door, and that's good. It was nice coming home to find out Hinata left him a plate of leftovers from his weekly meal prep. Hinata has guests over sometimes, but Hinata is his friend, so most of the people he invites to the apartment are also Kageyama's friends. 

Hinata is a great roommate.

But.

There are times like when Hinata likes to use the treadmill in the living room. Which is fine, but he uses the treadmill without a shirt on. And when Kageyama walks to the kitchen to get water as soon as he wakes up and a shirtless Hinata is the first thing he sees, it can be distracting.

"Good morning!" Hinata shouts over the sound of his feet pounding on the treadmill.

"What are you doing?" Kageyama's voice is rough and quiet from sleep, so Hinata stops running to be able to hear him.

"I'm swimming," Hinata replies sarcastically before taking a big drink from his water bottle. Hinata's shorts are a very bright shade of green. He must have bought them in Brazil, because they're lined up with the fading tanline on Hinata's thighs. On that note, Kageyama turns to the fridge to avoid staring.

"Why are you running without a shirt on?"

Hinata's laugh is so loud and close that Kageyama almost drops the pitcher of water on the ground. He closes the fridge door to find Hinata on the other side with his hands on his hips.

"Are you saying I can’t work out without a shirt on?! Kageyama, we shared a locker room for three years, it’s nothing you haven’t seen.”

"Yeah," Kageyama says, and Hinata grabs the pitcher out of his hands when he's finished pouring himself a glass. Hinata has a point, but. He watches Hinata fill up his water bottle and put the pitcher back in the fridge. "But not ... here, in my apartment.”

”In **our** apartment, Bakageyama. Can I not work out in my own house?” Hinata's teasing him, the sides of his mouth curling up in a smile even though he's trying to look serious.

"Whatever, do what you want." 

Hinata laughs again and lightly punches Kageyama's stomach. The touch makes Kageyama feel hot, so he leaves quickly. 

"Oh, wanna meet up and go to Yachi's together tonight? I have to go by your arena anyways, so I can pick you up after practice." 

Kageyama turns back to look at Hinata. He's still smiling and he's still not wearing a shirt.

"Yeah, OK." 

"Cool, I'll text Yachi and let her know!"

Kageyama shuts himself in the bathroom and takes a moment to lean on the back of the door. He takes a deep breath.

* * *

Kageyama fiddles with his chopsticks when the game comes back from commercial break. Hinata is on the bench, subbed out for the libero, but he's the focus of the TV cameras while the analysts talk about his set-winning spike from before the break. Hinata's having a very physical conversation, his arms up and moving, with a teammate on the bench. Kageyama's eyes track the hand Hinata pushes through his hair and swallows hard. 

The other week, Kageyama caught Hinata sleeping on the couch, and he stared at his sleeping face before waking him up to save him from a crick in his neck. Hinata was snoring - he must have had a rough practice, that's usually the only time he snores. His cheeks move with every exhale, and Kageyama bets they feel soft. He wants to know, so he just ... does it. He reaches out and brushes the back of his hand against Hinata's cheek. It is soft. He starts to move, so Kageyama pulls back and pokes Hinata in the arm to wake him up.

Later that night, locked in his bedroom, Kageyama visits those websites Yachi sent him back in high school. Kageyama thought he was one thing, the type that didn't like anyone, because he's never wanted to touch anyone, anywhere, anytime. But now Kageyama's face gets hot the second Hinata touches his arm, and he can't help but look when Hinata makes his way from the bathroom to his bedroom with a towel wrapped around his hips. He doesn't know when it started. They used to touch each other a lot in high school, Kageyama always grabbing his head or Hinata pulling him down by the arm or T-shirt to whisper in his ear. 

Kageyama opens up his latest volleyball magazine, which he still buys even though he's in them sometimes, and does the same test he did when he was younger. He looks at the profile on the captain of Japan's women's team, someone Kageyama met during the Rio Olympics. She's a great middle blocker, very strong and very fast, but Kageyama tried to imagine touching her or kissing her and it didn't seem like anything he wanted.

He flips to the next story on a libero who's set to lead Spain's men's team in the World Cup, complete with a staged shirtless photo, but all Kageyama can think about it a shirtless Hinata instead. He wonders what Hinata's muscles would feel like under his hands, thinking back to those bright green shorts and-

Kageyama tosses the magazine on the floor and falls back onto his bed. This doesn't feel like the type that didn't like anyone, or never wanted to touch anyone, anywhere, any time.

He goes back to those websites from Yachi and does more reading. Apparently that's also a thing - liking no one else but only certain people. "_Does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone._" Or even thinking someone is attractive or "cute," but it goes away really fast.

Kageyama certainly has a strong emotional connection with Hinata. Even after graduation, when Kageyama thought the distance would get between them, they managed to talk all the time. Hinata wasn't here, but he wasn't gone. He's been one of the most important people in Kageyama's life for years. 

He googles "how do you know you have a crush" and picks the first one link that comes up from some site for teenage girls. He starts reading the list of signs: feeling excited when they're around (it's hard not to, but he's definitely more excited to see Hinata than other people), wondering what they're doing all the time (well, Hinata is his roommate, but he wondered that before they lived together), trying to get their attention (Kageyama does like it when Hinata watches him and his heart beats so hard it hurts when Hinata compliments him, it always has). 

Fantasize about them? Kageyama thinks about the shorts for three whole seconds before quickly scrolling to the next sign. Feeling stressed? Ha! Kageyama thinks about the sweat and how Hinata's touch now makes his skin tingle. So, a crush.

Kageyama googles "how do you date someone," but there's a lot and nothing is straight forward. He closes his computer and falls back onto the bed again. He knows he likes having Hinata around, likes when they do things together and doesn't like the idea of Hinata leaving again. He quickly discovers he doesn't like the idea of Hinata kissing someone else.

Kageyama would rather think about Hinata kissing him. Even if it was on the cheek, Kageyama thinks he might like it. 

* * *

Kageyama has an afternoon game on his birthday. Hinata is away with his team and won't be back to the apartment until the next day, so his teammates take him out for dinner after the win. He has a beer because his teammates insist, but only one. He's not much of a beer drinker. 

He doesn't like how quiet the apartment is when he gets home, but it's nothing he's not used to. Kageyama puts on some sweatpants and is in the middle of searching the fridge for a snack when the doorbell rings. He checks his phone, but there are no messages to say someone was coming over. It's almost midnight. The doorbell rings again and Kageyama gives in.

"Happy birthday, Tobio!"

Hinata is wearing a corny children's birthday hat that's too small for his head and he's holding a tray of cupcakes. 

"I thought you weren't getting back until tomorrow," Kageyama says, picking up the small triangle hat on Hinata's head and stretching the elastic string that's wrapped underneath Hinata's chin to hold it in place. Kageyama lets go and the hat snaps back in place, making Hinata wrinkle his nose. Kageyama thinks the way Hinata's nose moves is something he'd call cute. 

"I can't let you be alone on your birthday. I came home as soon as I could!" Hinata says with a smile. "I also didn't want to put the cupcakes on the ground to find my keys, that's why I rang the doorbell."

"Here," Kageyama takes the box out of Hinata's hands and turns back into the apartment. The cupcakes are from the bakery they go to every now and then when they go on runs together. They're all his favourite flavour. "How did you get these? It's so late."

Hinata drops his travel bag on one of the chair in the kitchen so he can take off his winter jacket. "I told the owner that it was your birthday and asked her to make some! She dropped them off at the front desk a few hours ago, and they kept them in the fridge until I got here. She says happy birthday, too!" 

Kageyama stares at Hinata in shock as he takes his bag to his bedroom. Hinata did all this planning for cupcakes? All these people did this? For Kageyama? He grins to himself. 

They lean against opposite sides at the kitchen island to eat, and Hinata only gets icing on his face once while asking about Kageyama's game. He gives his usual report, the fine line they usually walk when they talk about their teams. Can't be giving information away to his rival. He's just about to talk about what he ate for dinner when Hinata laughs.

"I can't believe you let them take you out."

"Why?"

"Because you never want people to make a big deal about your birthday! I tried to organize a party-"

"No way," Kageyama says before Hinata starts going on about the party thing again. 

"I know," Hinata says, "that why we're doing this instead." Hinata leans in on the counter to look over the lid and into the box for another cupcake. Kageyama freezes with Hinata that close. His heartbeat is loud in his ears and the deep breath he takes smells like Hinata's body wash. He looks up in question at Kageyama's breath and it's too much at once. Kageyama moves back to put more space between them.

Hinata pulls away and his eyes narrow.

”What’s wrong with you?" Hinata asks. "Why do you keep pulling away every time I get close to you? Don't deny it. It's been weeks now." 

"It’s not-" Kageyama starts, but he doesn't know what to say. He shoves the rest of the cupcake in his mouth to buy himself time. Hinata looks unimpressed, but not angry. He takes a bite of his own cupcake and silently waits for Kageyama to continue. "It’s just ... tempting.”

Hinata squints and tries to wait him out, but Kageyama would never lose a game of silence with Hinata.

"Tempting?”

"Yeah," Kageyama says. Hinata takes another bite while Kageyama's restless fingers play with the edge of the cupcake box. "To ask to kiss you.”

Hinata's eyes go wide, as bright in the kitchen lights as they are on the court. He chews slowly and swallows, but stays quiet. 

”I thought maybe I’d like to know what it’s like," Kageyama says, looking down at the food again. He can't eat another one tonight, but he might just to do something other than talk. "Well, what it’s like with you, anyways-“

Hinata walks around the island and throws himself at Kageyama, lips first. The kiss is a bit hard, but Kageyama likes it anyways. 

”Wait! No!" Hinata says pulling away. That is not what Kageyama was hoping to hear, and he's so nervous his stomach feels like it's fighting to get out of his body. "That wasn’t a proper kiss,” he says, grabbing the sides of Kageyama’s face. “Can I do it again?”

Kageyama feels so small in Hinata's hands. He nods and Hinata leans back in.

This kiss is much better than the first kiss, and Kageyama uses the taste of sugar on Hinata's tongue to distract himself from how sweaty his palms are as they sit at his sides.

"You can touch me, if you want," Hinata whispers into his lips with a smile. His cheeks are bright red when he pulls back, and Kageyama's heart jumpstarts at the idea that Hinata likes kissing him _this_ much. Maybe it's the tiny amount of beer he had, or all the sugar, or the endorphins, but Kageyama reaches down to pick Hinata up and sit him on top of the island. "Kageyama!"

Hinata stays still when Kageyama's hands lazily move away from his waist and down his sides. He runs his fingers over the worn jeans stretched over Hinata's thighs and it feels like lightning is spreading over his entire body. Kageyama looks up to meet Hinata's stare and reaches up to brush his thumb over the cheek he already knows is soft. 

"Tobio," Hinata says, leaning into the palm of Kageyama's hand.

“I think I like you," Kageyama whispers. Hinata sighs and puts his hand over Kageyama's heart, smiling when he feels how hard it's beating.

”I think you do, too," Hinata says, even though his smile drops, "but I thought you didn’t like anyone.”

”Me too. This is all very hard to figure out. But kissing you makes my heart feel the same way it does when I do a jump serve and I think I've liked you for a while."

"Can I confess something?" Hinata asks before biting his lip.

"Sure?" 

"I saw what you googled." He was trying to hold in his laughter. Kageyama's hand drops off Hinata's face. 

"You mean 'how do you know you have a crush'?"

Hinata finally lets the laughter out when he nods and Kageyama groans. Hinata wraps his arms around his neck and pulls him into a hug so Kageyama can hide his head on Hinata's shoulder.

"I thought it was very cute," Hinata says, kissing Kageyama's cheek. 

"Cute," Kageyama says into Hinata's neck. He feels Hinata shiver and gives him a firm hug. _Cute_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday to my best boy Kageyama!!!  
Come find me @whatakeenbean1

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me @whatakeenbean1


End file.
